Well, That software-hardware combo would have made the chicken or the egg problem moot. It certainly would have left the system extensible and would have given the hard core mentors something to chew on. The drag, drop, wire and specifying parameter visual programming capabilities makes the MSRS VPL look kind of beta-ish. Factor in the cost and well. It's nice to dream.
As to the reason of my original post and hint a serialization, look at this link for a example of why extensibility in the new controller is important.
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bi...OF_MOTOR_.html
This surplus motor is an example of what will be available in the future. Right now we can not access the power that is on that circuit board. If one new the buss and command structure, I bet one could do allot of neat things with that item. First has tapped the automotive industry for allot of our stuff. Van door motors, window motors, the cim. More and more of the Automotive mechanicals are becoming intelligent subsystems. We should be ready to tap their mass market design and production capabilities. ECM motors are the future. More and more automotive systems will be using them. With the recent release of several driver chips the cost is going down. We should be ready to tap these products in the future.